Press Room

One Week Out, New Polling and Immigration Voter Guide Highlight the Power of the Latino Vote

America's Voice | Released on 10/25/2010

In Contrast to Overall Voters, Democrats Enjoy Advantage in Enthusiasm Among Latinos

Washington, DC – One week before the midterm elections, Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions and Frank Sharry of America’s Voice hosted a press call today to review the races Latino voters will help decide on November 2, and present new polling on voter sentiment heading into the mid-term elections.

According to Latino Decisions, which has been conducting weekly tracking polls of Latino voters since September: “For the fourth straight week, we find an increase in the percentage of Latino registered voters who report being very enthusiastic about voting in November 2010. Four weeks ago just 40.3% of Latinos said they were very enthusiastic, and today that figures reaches 58.3%. Self-reported turnout certainty remained constant at 75.1% from one week ago, up 10 point from four weeks ago. As election day draws near, and early voting is in full swing, Latinos are reportedly showing more and more interest and enthusiasm. In response to the ‘don’t vote’ campaign, Univision and Telemundo are both increasing their get-out-the-vote public service announcements, and Latino civic groups such as NALEO, NCLR, Mi Familia Vota and others are doubling their efforts to mobilize Latino voters down the stretch. With close statewide elections for Governor and U.S. Senate in nearly a dozen states with sizable Latino electorates, Latino voter turnout could make the difference in many of these contests.”

The immigration debate has played a crucial role in shaping Latino voters’ views of the candidates. The closeness of so many House, Senate, and gubernatorial races mean that this demographic will play a crucial role in deciding key winners and losers on Election Night. Today, America’s Voice released a voter guide that provides a detailed look at more than fifty races where Latinos will make a difference. The Voter Guide to the Candidates on Immigration Reform recaps the immigration views of the candidates, and provides current information about how the issue is being debated by the campaigns.

On the call, Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions presented the latest installment of his organization’s weekly tracking polling. The Latino Decisions research finds that fully 58% of Latino voters who intend to vote Democratic identify themselves as “very enthusiastic” about voting, while only 16% of Latino voters who intend to vote for Republicans are. The poll also shows that 67% of Latino voters are less excited about the Republican Party than they were when Obama became President, while 36% are more excited about the Democrats than they were in 2008. As Latino Decisions explains it, “the Republican enthusiasm advantage that has been noted among the general public is reversed among Latinos, whereby Republicans do marginally better among Latinos who say they are not enthusiastic about voting. Given the Republican parties anti-outreach to Latinos in 2010, this reversal may not come as a surprise to knowledgeable observers of Latino politics.”

During the call, Frank Sharry also highlighted the new America’s Voice report, The Power of the Latino Vote in America, which recaps trends in Latino voting patterns over time and looks forward to these voters’ impact in 2010 and 2012. The report details not just how Latino voters are likely to vote, but why. Finally, today America’s Voice also released an updated analysis about how Latinos will impact congressional reapportionment following the 2010 Census.

Sharry and Barreto also announced a new series of polls sponsored by National Council of La Raza, Service Employees International Union, and America’s Voice, and conducted by Latino Decisions, that will measure Latino voter turnout, candidate preferences, and motivation in the battleground states of AZ, CA, CO, FL IL, NM, NV, TX around the election. Some results will be available immediately following November 2nd.